American Airlines

^{*Business Class is offered on Boeing 767-200ER and 777-200ER aircraft only.</center>}

Retired fleet

An American Boeing 777-200ER

An American Boeing 757-200

• BAC 111 (1964-1972)
• BAe 146 (1987-1993) (ex-AirCal)
• Boeing 707 (1959-1981)
• Boeing 717 (2001-2002) (ex-TWA)
• Boeing 727-023 (1964-1993)
• Boeing 727-223 (1966-2002)
• Boeing 737-1xx (1987-1993) (ex-AirCal)
• Boeing 737-2xx (1987-1993) (ex-AirCal)
• Boeing 737-3A4 (1987-1993) (ex-AirCal)
• Boeing 747-123 (1971-1983) (exchanged with Pan Am for additional DC-10s; one later used as a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft)
• Boeing 747-SP31 (1986-1994)
• Boeing 757-231 (2001-2006)
• Boeing 757-2Q8 (2001-2006)
• Boeing 767-331 (2001-2002) (ex-TWA)
• Boeing 767-3YO (2001-2002) (ex-TWA)
• Convair 240 (1950s-60s)
• Convair 990 (1970s)
• Curtiss Condor (1920s-30s)
• Douglas DC-2 (1930s)
• Douglas DC-3 (1930s)
• Douglas DC-4 (1940s)
• Douglas DC-6 (1947-1966)
• Douglas DC-7 (1950s)
• Douglas DC-9 (2001) (ex-TWA)
• Fokker F100 (1991-2004) (Sold to Jetsgo until its sudden liquidation, most that were not delivered to this airline, and all the ones that were being operated at the time of liquidation are now being sold to Avianca)
• Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor (1920s)
• Lockheed L-188 Electra (1950s-60s)
• McDonnell Douglas DC-10 (1972-2000) (most sold to FedEx)
• McDonnell Douglas MD-11 (1991-2002) (most sold to FedEx)
• McDonnell Douglas MD-87 (1999-2001) (ex-Reno Air)
• McDonnell Douglas MD-90 (1999-2001) (ex-Reno Air)

Codeshare agreements

American has codesharing agreements with Aer Lingus, Air Pacific, Air Sahara, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Eastern Airlines, Deutsche Bahn (AiRail Service), EVA Air, Finnair, Grupo TACA (to be discontinued soon), Gulf Air, Hawaiian Airlines, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, Mexicana, Qantas Airways, SN Brussels Airlines, SNCF, TAM Airlines and Turkish Airlines. AmericanConnection, which feeds American's hub at Lambert Saint Louis International Airport, is also a codesharing operation with three regional carriers. It also has reciprocal agreements for earning frequent flyer miles with several airlines, including all other members of the Oneworld alliance.

While British Airways is a member of this alliance and members of its Executive Club can earn EC credit for AA flights within the US, they cannot earn it for AA transatlantic flights between the UK and the U.S. The same applies in reverse to AAdvantage members who will not earn miles for US-UK flights with British Airways. Since the origin of this restriction lies in the combined AA-BA market share between the U.S. and the UK, it does not apply British Airways transatlantic flights between the UK and a city outside the U.S. For example, an AAdvantage member who flies on a British Airways transatlantic flight that originates in Bermuda, Nassau, or Toronto can earn AA miles. Similarly, it does not apply to AA and any other airline on other routes.

AA 777-200ER landing at London Heathrow Airport.

Incidents and accidents

• On October 23, 1942, American Airlines Flight 28, en route from Burbank, California to New York City, crashed in Chino Canyon near Palm Springs after it was clipped by a U.S. Army Air Corps Lockheed B-34 Ventura II bomber. The crash killed all nine passengers and crew of three aboard the Douglas DC-3; among the victims was award-winning composer and Hollywood songwriter Ralph Rainger ("Thanks for the Memory," "Blue Hawaii," "Love in Bloom," etc.). The bomber, being flown by a two-man crew, landed safely.
• Flight 320, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashed on approach to LaGuardia on February 3, 1959 due to pilot error.
• Flight 1, a Boeing 707, crashed shortly after takeoff from Idlewild (now JFK) airport on March 1, 1962 due to a maintenance error causing rudder failure.
• Flight 383, a Boeing 727, crashed on approach to Cincinnati airport on November 8, 1965.
• December 28 1970; American Airlines (Trans Caribbean Airways) 727-200; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands: The aircraft had a hard landing which caused it to bounce. The crew executed a second touchdown which caused on of the main landing gear to fail. The aircraft overran the runway on the right side and hit an embankment. None of the crew members and two of the 46 passengers were killed.
• Flight 625, a Boeing 727, crashed on approach to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands on April 27, 1976.
• Flight 191, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, crashed at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on May 25, 1979. During the takeoff roll, the left engine and pylon separated from the wing. The crew continued the takeoff, but wing damage due to the engine separation also damaged the aircraft hydraulic system and caused retraction of some flight control surfaces. The aircraft rolled and crashed shortly after takeoff. All 258 passengers and 13 crew were killed. Two people on the ground were also killed.
• February 19 1988; American Eagle Fairchild Metro III; Cary, North Carolina: The aircraft departed during low ceiling, low visibility, and night conditions. Shortly after takeoff the aircraft impacted a reservoir. Analysis of radar data indicated the aircraft was in a 45 degree descending turn. Both crew members and all 10 passengers were killed.
• June 7 1992; American Eagle (Executive Air) CASA 212-200; Mayaguez, Puerto Rico: The aircraft crashed one kilometer short of the runway in bad weather. Both crew and all three passengers were killed.
• October 31 1994; American Eagle ATR 72; Near Roselawn, Indiana: The aircraft inverted, dived, and crashed from holding pattern at 10,000 feet (3050 m) due to icing. The four crew and 64 passengers were all killed.
• December 13 1994; American Eagle Jetstream 31; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina: Crashed about 5 miles (8 km) short of the runway at night in icing conditions and with possible engine trouble. Both crew and 13 of the 18 passengers were killed.
• Flight 965, a Boeing 757, crashed on approach to Calí, Colombia, on December 20, 1995, due to an outdated flight map.
• Flight 1420, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashed on landing to Little Rock, Arkansas on June 1, 1999.
• Two American Airlines aircraft were hijacked and crashed during the September 11, 2001 attacks: Flight 77 (a Boeing 757) and Flight 11 (a Boeing 767).
• Flight 587, an Airbus A300 crashed in New York City on November 12, 2001, due to overuse of rudder.
• American almost lost Flight 63 to "shoe bomber" Richard Reid on December 22 of the same year, but the plot was foiled. The flight was en route from Paris Charles De Gaulle to Miami, and was diverted to Boston's Logan Airport.
• October 19 2004; AmericanConnection BAe Jetstream 32; near Kirksville, Missouri: The aircraft was on a scheduled flight from St. Louis to Kirksville when it crashed about four miles (6.4 km) south of the destination airport. All but 2 on board died.
• A passenger on Flight 924, who officials said claimed to have a bomb in a carry-on bag, was shot and killed by a team of federal air marshals on the jetway as the plane boarded at Miami International Airport for a flight to Orlando, Florida, from Medellín, Colombia, on December 7, 2005.
• In June 2005 a Boeing 767-200 (registered N330AA) that was being checked by American Airlines maintenance at Los Angeles International caught fire is its number one engine. The fire damaged part of the left wing.
• A McDonnell-Douglas MD82 en route San Antonio, Texas to Los Angeles (Flight 1581) made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International on June 6, 2006 after the pilot reported a hydraulic failure. The aircraft landed safely at 3:50pm and was towed to the gate.
• A Boeing 777-200 en route London Heathrow-New York JFK made an emergency landing at Dublin on June 12, 2006 after the smell of smoke was reported on board.
• An Airbus A300 en route San Juan PR-Orlando (Flight 478) made an emergency landing at the Miami International Airport on June 13, 2006 following a hydraulic problem.
• An MD-80 aircraft, Flight 1740 from Los Angeles to Chicago made a safe emergency landing in Chicago on June 20, 2006 when the nose gear failed to extend, forcing the plane into a belly landing. The aircraft flew by the control tower to confirm the landing gear was not down, then circled the airport to burn fuel. The landing did not cause a fire.^[6]
• On July 26, 2006, a Boeing 777 jet en-route from London Heathrow to LAX lost power of one of its engines. It landed safely at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport 30 minutes after trouble was reported. None of the 250 passengers on board were injured, and the incident is under investigation.
• Flight 109 from London Heathrow Airport to Boston's Logan Airport was called back to Heathrow on August 7, 2006 after immigration authorities discovered that a passenger who was on the "No-fly list" was onboard.
• Flight 2032 Boeing 757 from Los Angeles International Airport bound for Chicago O'Hare International Airport made an emergency landing at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport due to low cabin pressure. There were no fatalities. But some people complained of massive headaches. Under investigation.
• On American Airlines Flight 45 on 8-22-06, two flight attendants and the captain threatened to divert the plane if a gay couple did not refrain from resting their heads on each other's shoulders. A spokesperson for American stood behind the employees' actions. Reported in the New Yorker Magazine on 9-25-2006.^[7]

Livery

American's early liveries varied widely, but a common livery was adopted in the 1930s, featuring an eagle painted on the fuselage. The eagle became a symbol of the company and inspired the name of American Eagle Airlines. Propeller aircraft featured an international orange lightning bolt running down the length of the fuselage, which was replaced by a simpler orange stripe with the introduction of jets.

In the late 1960s, American commissioned an industrial designer to develop a new livery. The original design called for a red, white, and blue stripe on the fuselage, and a simple "AA" logo, without an eagle, on the tail. However, American's employees revolted when the livery was made public, and launched a "Save the Eagle" campaign similar to the "Save the Flying Red Horse" campaign at Mobil. Eventually, the designer caved in and created a highly stylized eagle, dubbed "the bug," which remains the company's logo to this day. In 1999, American painted a new Boeing 757 in its 1959 international orange livery.

American is the only major U.S. airline that leaves the majority of its aircraft surfaces unpainted. Originally, this was because C. R. Smith hated painted aircraft, and refused to use any liveries that involved painting the entire plane. Crandall later justified the distinctive natural metal finish by noting that less paint reduced the aircraft's weight, thus saving on fuel costs. Eastern Air Lines and US Airways have also maintained unpainted airplanes in the past.

Slogans

Current - "we know why you fly, we're American Airlines."

2001 (post-9/11) - "We are an airline that is proud to bear the name American"

Mid 1980s-mid 1990's - "Something special in the air"

1970s-1980s - "We're American Airlines, doing what we do best"

Early 1970s - "It's good to know you're on American Airlines."

1967-1969 - "Fly the American Way"

1964-1967 - "American built an airline for professional travelers."

1950s-early 1960s - "America's Leading Airline"

Miscellaneous

American Airlines stewardess, circa 1949

• In the 1960s, Mattel released a series of American Airlines stewardess Barbie dolls.
• An "American Airlines Space Freighter," the Valley Forge, was the setting for the 1971 science fiction movie Silent Running, starring Bruce Dern and directed by Douglas Trumbull. The freighter featured the then-new "AA" logo on the hull.
• On 30 March 1973 American became the first major airline to employ a female pilot when Bonnie Tiburzi was hired to fly Boeing 727s.
• American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.
• AA was featured prominently in the first two Home Alone movies.
• In the early 1990s, singer Janet Jackson made a commercial for AA.
• AA has been a long-time promotional sponsor of The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from AA's hub city of Chicago.
• AA is one of the few companies to have purchased naming rights for two sporting venues: the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami and the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The 2006 NBA Finals saw the Miami Heat taking on the Dallas Mavericks, creating great exposure for American Airlines.
• American received a 100% rating on the first Corporate Equality Index released by the Human Rights Campaign in 2002 and has maintained their rating in respect to policies on LGBT employees.
• Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie of Vermont made a career being a pilot for American Airlines.
• AA's in-flight magazine is titled American Way.
• American Airlines is the first airline to develop a frequent flyer program, dubbed AAdvantage and created on May 1, 1981. It is the largest airline loyalty program in the world and maintains an active membership of over 50 million members.
• As at 2006, AA's regional companion American Eagle has nearly completed an extensive fleet transformation replacing their vast number of turboprops with Embraer regional jets and Canadair regional jets, with the exception of the remaining ATR & Saab turboprops which they are in the process of phasing out.
• AA's "American Connection" service operates from the Saint Louis hub only. Unlike "American Eagle", AA Connection is not operated by American Airlines crew, nor are the airplanes owned by AMR Corp. "American Connection" operates as a franchise or codeshare of American Airlines.

References

1. ^ http://www.iht.com/articles/1997/02/17/fly.t_1.php.
2. ^ Ben Mutzabaugh. Today in the Air. USAToday.com. Retrieved on 2006-06-20.
3. ^ http://www.aa.com/content/amrcorp/pressReleases/2005_07/12_delhi.jhtml.
4. ^ http://www.airsafe.com/events/airlines/fleetage.htm.
5. ^ Flight International, 3-9 October 2006
6. ^ AMR flight lands safely after mechanical failure. Reuters.com (2006-06-20). Retrieved on 2006-06-20.
7. ^ http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/060925ta_talk_collins.

Vignelli Associates designed the AA with eagle logo in 1967. Vignelli attributes the introduction of his firm to American Airlines to Henry Dreyfuss, the legendary AA design consultant. The logo, as it was originally designed, is still in use today.

Sources

• John M. Capozzi, A Spirit of Greatness (JMC, 2001), ISBN 0-9656410-3-1
• Don Bedwell, Silverbird: The American Airlines Story (Airways, 1999), ISBN 0-9653993-6-2
• Al Casey, Casey's Law (Arcade, 1997), ISBN 1-55970-307-5
• Simon Forty, ABC American Airlines (Ian Allan, 1997), ISBN 1-882663-21-7
• Dan Reed, The American Eagle: The Ascent of Bob Crandall and American Airlines (St. Martin's, 1993), ISBN 0-312-08696-2
• Robert J. Serling, Eagle (St. Martin's, 1985), ISBN 0-312-22453-2
• International Directory of Company Histories, St. James Press.

External links

• American Airlines
• American Airlines Fleet Detail
• American Airlines Fleet Age
• American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum
• American Airlines current route maps
• American Airlines historical timetables and route maps
• American Way, American's inflight magazine
• Stop and Think, an American Airlines-funded pro-Wright Amendment group
• Unofficial Guide to American Airlines AAdvantage
• American Airlines AAdvantage Forum on Flyertalk.com
• American Airlines Wiki on Flyertalk.com
• American Airlines AAdvantage Bonus Miles Promotions
• American Airlines Seating Charts on SeatGuru.com
• American Airlines Passenger Opinions